Karo’s speculation was confirmed yesterday by Princess. Until it was, when you checked online you found that the Sapphire Princess was disappearing for several months next summer, which also led me to suspect Princess would be catering — perhaps exclusively — to that massive middle-class Chinese market. In yesterday’s press release, here’s how that was addressed:

“The new round-trip cruises, which begin next May, will bring a brand-new premium cruise experience to the rapidly growing China vacation market. Princess will offer the quality and comfort sought by discerning Chinese travelers.”

That doesn’t mean North Americans aren’t welcome, of course…in fact, mark November 1 on your calendar because that’s when Princess will put the cruises on public sale. All that’s being said so far about where the ship will be going is this: “The 2014 China season will feature four different itineraries ranging from three to seven days which – according to Princess research – is the ideal number of vacation days for the Chinese market.”

This strategy shift, if that’s what you want to call it, is not uncommon. Go to Carnival’s site and you will not find the Carnival Spirit on the North American website. Good reason: Carnival is selling to the Aussies in a market that is rocketing upward.

With the Sapphire, suspicions were enhanced by the announcement a few months ago that Princess was opening a series of offices in China. Sister cruise line Costa is already there with Costa Victoria. Carnival has opened a major sales centre in Singapore under the auspices of Carnival Asia.

In the long run, I can see the major cruise lines having two ships in Asia. One to serve the Chinese market and one to cater to the non-Asian part of the world.